I have a trax resistance trainer (magnetic) that I currently lent Adam which I payed a whole 75$ for I saw some rollers and other trainers going for sale towards the end of the summer for about 60 - 80$ now it seems people are only selling for 100$+

Personally though if I do buy something new which I eventually will I am still looking at

http://www.kreitler.com/product.php?section=product&item=rollers_4_5

Edit ( wattage charts for anyone interested)
http://www.kreitler.com/wattage.php?section=wattage

they are expensive but personally I think they are worth it, some might disagree though we are all entitled to our own opinions on that. You can get trainers at practically any bike store in Montreal though I unfortunately cant point you towards any sweet deals because I don't know of any at the moment. As for personal experience, I fell that magnetic resistance trainers do a much better job then fair resistance trainers.

Though when comparing things, rollers and trainers should not be seen the same way. Rollers are more for stability / cadence while on a trainer you don't need to worry about stability, just cadence and endurance.

Hope that helped a little.

BUT you should not be using a carbon bike on a trainer, because it will eventually cause your frame to crack. So rollers are a good bet if you don't have two bikes.

I've been using these all winter so far
http://www.saris.com/p-335-aluminum-rollers-with-resistance.aspx
and I've been nothing but happy. With straight up rollers you are restricted to pretty much base miles. But in the last few weeks I've had it cranked to max resistance and I am able to do anaerobic intervals and sprints.

Ben, I'm pretty sure the carbon bike on trainer thing is one of those cyling urban legends that is floating around. All of the torque generated is still being transferred into the rear triangle at the axel. I suppose you can theoretically torque at the BB more because its lashed up into the vertical but these things were designed to survive being ran over gnashed roads and sprinted.

A lot of the fatigue testing is done using something that lashes the bike via an axle through the real triangle and front fork anyway. They'd know if something was up if the forces a rider could exert would cause problems in a "trainer" setup.

Yea thats why Cancellara rides reinforced steel frames on the turbo.

Actually Jason, that was told to me by one of the managers of specialized canada, and he also told me that it says specifically in their bike manuals that carbon bikes are not to be used in a trainer, and if they are, then the warranty is void. The guys at the warranty department actually showed me a frame that had been cracked in this way, and they know exactly what it looks like because it always cracks in the same two spots. They did not replace the guys frame for free.

Reason #93383884 why to never own a Specialized.

Ben, the specialized party line is that trainers = bad but there isn't actually any specific warranty or provisions for not using trainers, or anything in the manual over it though- at least not the ones currently on the web (both my spec are alloy so I wanted to see if there was a special carbon manual). Not that manuals are actually useful, if it weren't for the logo I couldn't tell the diff between the specialized and cervelo manuals. The website does claim in the FAQ that they wont warranty trainer busted bikes though - that's exceptionally lame.

Their pseudo technical explanation for torques being different is basically bullshit. Bike frame testing is somewhat standardized via ASTM F2711-08, whether everyone actually follows this I have no clue, there are rumblings of stuff like EFBe not doing realistic testing for riding conditions so who the hell knows. I don't remember all of the specifics but I'm pretty sure part of the testing involves applying simulated torques while the bike is fixed in the vertical plane by the rear axel/dropouts - ie testing results in rear triangle stresses more typical of what you'd see in a trainer than with the wheel-road-rear triangle interactions of actual riding. I'll double check when I re-download the standards now I'm really curious.

I could see busting a bike if someone totally over torqued one side of a trainer's axel retention system but thats flat out asking for it anyway.

But yeah, what Nybom said I'm not putting my heavy arse with an S-works carbon frame on any bad paved roads. Sorta sad from the company who claims to do more destructive testing than anyone else.

Back to the topic at hand...I have some cheap tacx rollers. No resistance or anything. I don't find I need it because if you are riding mostly base in the winter, whats the point? They are still going strong and I think I have had them for 3 years. The only downside is you will never be able to ride a trainer again because it will seem so boring!

Does anyone want to buy a cycleops fluid 2?
I have one but was thinking of trading it for rollers

How much?

this may be old at this point, but when i saw the heated debate over whether to use a carbon bike on a trainer i became curious as well as nervous, mainly because I break stuff... a lot of stuff. I therefor chose to email one Lennard Zinn (the dude who does the tech column for velonews) and this is the email i just got;

it's fine.
Thanks for your question for my column.

Keep the wheels turning,
Lennard Zinn

President, Zinn Cycles Inc.
Senior Technical Writer for VeloNews
cycling author
7437 S. Boulder Rd.
Boulder, CO 80303-4641 USA
ph. 303-499-4349
email veloqna@comcast.net
Web www.zinncycles.com

I feel like this guy knows what hes talking about

Damn, I just bought rollers.

Haha if you want to keep your trainer now I'll buy your rollers off of you.

It's ok I think I will prefer the rollers

Despite Zinn's confidence, Ben's firsthand account of how Spec deals with the issue is enough to keep me away from the trainer.

Think how much your bike has to endure whilst being strapped on a roof rack. In Lubbock, the bikes survived going 60 mph in 30+ mile per hour cross winds nearly every week for 9 months with all trips lasting at least 6 hours. All my carbon frames have survived 5 hr turbo rides every winter for 3 years, including my sub 900 gram SL. I can’t say the same about my wheels though….

I was just relaying what I heard at specialized by all of the warranty guys, and they were all dead serious when they were telling me (and showing me the results). These guys aren't afraid to badmouth specialized (such as saying they don't like roval wheels, etc) but they were all in agreement that you shouldn't ride carbon bikes in trainers. I mean, their explanation makes sense to me, as a non-engineer, but by all means do whatever you want. I don't ride a carbon bike (yet) and I don't really ride trainers, so I don't really have to worry about it.

What Ben said is also on their website in the FAQ section although not in any official paperwork.

I still stick by my assessment that it is BS but I would absolutely keep the company "policy" in mind when using your bike.

I've just lost some respect for a company the size of spec refusing to have one of their engineers answer the question flat out instead of coming up with a mealy-mouth response.

It strikes me that something is foul when you've got no official paperwork or major warnings on the bike against trainer use but frames are apparently failing (who knows at what rate) as a result.

I think the real question here is at Nybom and thats, why are you doing 5 hour training sessions on a turbo trainer? It'll put you in good shape, but that just seems cruel.

Matrix Trilogy and popcorn..well 2.5 movies really

You watch the Matrix Trilogy while spinning for 5 hours? Fuck man thats pure unadulterated masochism right there.

Speaking of 12 hour cycling epics... I will cook a steak for whoever on the team rides a trainer through the entire extended Lord of the Rings back to back.

sounds like a challenge

john?

Hahahah, well, i'm not doing it back to back, but incrementally Don't worry, i don't want steak.

all three?

All three.

wow, this sounds like a party in the making right here.

What will you make me if I do it on my rollers?

It's only 11hrs and 20min...probably only 11hrs if you cut out the credits.

Full plate? Steak, roasted potato, grilled veggies?

do we get all that after completion, or some during?

All immediately after. Note: if any of you are actually serious about this let me know in advance, and it will happen. If everyone does it at once, you can all just bugger off, I'm not buying/grilling twenty steaks for trainer-loving masochists.

personally, I have NO interest in doing this, but I would love to come and watch for the "eleventh hour", so to speak.

Yes! Trainer party at the rec. We need cheerleaders on the side to feed us every 45 min though and possibly some catheters.

Not to kick a dead horse but I emailed Jamis Friday just to see about their warranty with cracked frames due to the trainer and whatnot.

"Chris,
Thank you for your inquiry to JAMIS BICYCLES dated February 4, 2010 regarding your question about using our Xenith Series models on an indoor trainer. We must inform you that we do not void the warranty of a bicycle just because it has been used on a trainer nor do we believe that a carbon frame should not be used on one. As long as the bicycle is properly secured to the trainer without over tightening the mounts onto the dropout area, you should be able to use our carbon models on the trainer without any issues. We understand that training indoors is an important part of riding for those who are not able to enjoy beautiful weather year round. We hope that you are enjoying the performance and ride quality of our Xenith Series and if you have any other questions about this or anything else feel free to contact us again.

Yours very truly,
JAMIS SUPPORT"

What a fantastic comp.

Specialized says:

High performance carbon road bikes are a really bad idea on indoor trainers. The fixing of the rear chainstays in one place and the biting of the clamp creates all kinds of twisting forces from odd angles, that can, over time, be really bad for a lightweight frame.

Our bikes withstand some amazing torture tests in the lab. However we really can't recommend it with a clear conscience. Have we heard of people doing it? yes. But we have also heard of people breaking their bikes, and being quite upset when their warranty claim is denied.

What I do for my own winter training is I have an old steel "winter rat" bike that does double duty as my awful weather ride, and that lives on the trainer in the winter.

good luck!

From their warranty

This limited warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear, nor to be claimed defects, malfunctions or failures that result from [...] or misuse. This bicycle or frameset has not been designed, engineered, distributed, manufactured, or retailed for uses in trick riding [...] riding with heavy loads, commercial activities, or any similar activities; such uses may damage the bicycle, can cause serious injury to the rider, and in all cases will void this warranty.

The warranty, as Jason says, doesn't say the word trainer once and only by asking the company could you determine that trainer use is "misuse". I'm going to go ahead and call this "rude".

Nybom which zenith do you have? The SL is shit hot. Yup John, that's the conclusion I came to, you C&P'ed that blurb from their FAQ right?

Yea I have the SL with full Red groupo.

Damn....so uh where do you live again?

Please tell me you didn't pay retail for it either....

God no. Sponsors fa sho.